Samwise High Tech Recruiting Newsletter
Thursday, October 8, 2026
Amazon Cuts Hundreds of Jobs in Stores Business During Prime Big Deal Days
Amazon laid off hundreds of employees this week in its Stores business, which runs the company’s main e-commerce site, GeekWire reported Thursday. Customer service, selling partner support and retail engineering teams were among those hit, according to internal Slack posts viewed by Business Insider and Reuters, both of which reported that fewer than 1,000 employees were affected. The cuts came during Prime Big Deal Days, which ran Tuesday and Wednesday. An Amazon spokesperson said the company adjusted parts of its Stores business and made the decision to eliminate a small number of roles. Internal posts suggested affected employees were in the U.S., India and the UK, according to Business Insider.
TCS Ends September Quarter with 598,056 Employees as AI Revenue Tops $3.1 Billion
Tata Consultancy Services ended its fiscal second quarter with a workforce of 598,056, according to results reported Thursday, while trailing 12-month attrition in IT services stood at 13.3%, Business Today reported. The India-based IT services company posted revenue of $7.64 billion for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up 2.8% in constant currency from a year earlier, Staffing Industry Analysts reported. Annualized AI revenue reached $3.1 billion, crossing 10% of revenue. CEO K Krithivasan cited broad-based growth in all international markets and pointed to deals with Porsche and Best Buy as a new category of transformation partnerships. Total contract value for the quarter was $9.6 billion.
Sources: Staffing Industry Analysts, Business Today
SThree Extends Takeover Deadline After Circle8 Returns with Improved All-Cash Proposal
UK staffing firm SThree said Thursday its board agreed to a 14-day extension, pushing to Oct. 21 the deadline for U.S.-based Circle8 to announce a firm intention to make an offer or walk away, Staffing Industry Analysts reported. Circle8 had been required to decide by Oct. 7 and returned with a new proposal, described as an improved all-cash offer, after SThree rejected its initial bid last month, saying it significantly undervalued the company. SThree declined to disclose the revised price. The proposal remains subject to pre-conditions including due diligence, financing arrangements and definitive transaction documents, and SThree said there is no certainty a firm offer will be made.
Sources: Staffing Industry Analysts
Amplified People Group Acquires AI Executive Search Firm Higher
UK-based specialist recruitment firm Amplified People Group has acquired Higher, an executive search firm specializing in AI, data science and engineering leadership hires, Staffing Industry Analysts reported Wednesday. Terms were not disclosed. Higher will be merged into JBM, Amplified’s executive search brand, which specializes in fractional and permanent general management, operations and go-to-market leadership roles. Andrew Richardson, co-founder and CEO of Amplified People Group, said the firm has witnessed massive demand for AI talent over the last 18 months, with clients seeking AI and engineering leaders. He said Amplified had worked with Higher and its founder and managing director, Kelly Gauthier, for a number of years.
Sources: Staffing Industry Analysts
Taipei-Based Job Platform 104 Corp. Confirms Unauthorized Access to 120,000 CVs
104 Corp., a Taipei-based firm that provides online job advertising and recruitment services, has confirmed that approximately 120,000 CV records were accessed without authorization after it detected abnormal activity on its app system on Tuesday, Staffing Industry Analysts reported Wednesday. The company said it immediately implemented protective and containment measures and engaged an independent third-party cybersecurity firm to conduct a forensic investigation. It will report the incident to the relevant authorities and file a report with the Taipei City Field Office of the Investigation Bureau. 104 Corp. said its systems and business operations are operating normally with no material impact to date, though the potential impact remains under assessment.
Sources: Staffing Industry Analysts
Staffing Firms’ Annual Reports Show AI Focus Shifting to Agents and Governance
Mentions of artificial intelligence in the annual reports of 20 of the world’s largest listed staffing firms rose 2% in 2025 from 2024 and are up 207% from 2019, according to a Staffing Industry Analysts analysis published Wednesday. The terms “agentic” and “AI agent,” tracked for the first time, drew 32 and 17 mentions. Adecco’s report had the most such mentions, and SIA said agentic AI is reportedly poised to generate more than half of Adecco global business unit revenue by the end of 2026. “Data protection” was the most-cited risk term with 208 mentions, followed by “cybersecurity” with 151, while “candidate fraud” recorded none.
Sources: Staffing Industry Analysts
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